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FJADRÁRGLJÚFUR, Iceland – With a magical video, Justin Bieber has made a virgin Icelandic canyon famous worldwide. And that's the problem.
Icelandic environment officials had to close the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon to protect it from hordes of Bieber fans determined to visit the site. And these fans do not leave a few fences, signs or park guards away.
This is only one example of the challenges facing the fragile Icelandic environment, which is enjoying increasing popularity among international visitors.
Last year, 2.3 million tourists visited the island nation of the North Atlantic, compared with 600,000 just eight years ago. The 20% annual increase in visitors is out of proportion to the systems needed to protect the Icelandic volcanic landscape, where the soil is slowly forming and eroding rapidly.
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